On an early October afternoon, I was in the passenger seat of my friend’s car, tapping through Snap Chat posts, when one caught my attention suddenly and off guard: a headline with the words “Singer Rex Orange County charged with six counts of sexual assault.” Knowing my friend was a regular listener of his music, I told her instantly and watched as her face went from shock, to despair, to reluctant realization that listening to the songs she loved would never be the same. She voiced this concern, but in reality it brought up a deeper, underlying question we would have to ask ourselves as a society. Can, or even should, one separate art from the artist?

“I haven’t been able to listen to Rex since the allegations came out,” senior Kate Ortiz said. “When it comes to him, I can’t just focus on his art because it was overwhelmingly about love and relationships, in contradiction to what came out about him.”

When an artist’s character is revealed to be less than favorable, it is difficult to remove the stain that is unavoidably imprinted onto their work. When art carries the label of a tainted figure, does that automatically make the art tainted as well? This question is not only brought up in the music industry, but with other forms of art as well. An example being authors and their books.

When J.K. Rowling voiced transphobic ideologies on her twitter account, fans of her beloved children’s book series, Harry Potter, were angry. However, the magic of this fantastical universe, and the happiness it brought to multiple generations didn’t just dissipate at the hands of their creator’s offensive remarks. They live on, a legacy that transcends the faults of humans. However, many have attempted separating J.K. Rowling’s name from the book series that is her legacy. 

“For J.K. Rowling I separate her books from her because her opinions aren’t reflected in her novels,” junior Ines Saudino said. “I still enjoy Harry Potter, it was a big part of my childhood.”

Although some find it easy to separate art from the artist, it isn’t as seamless an ordeal for many. Recently, this phenomenon has been tested amongst the fans of rapper Kanye West. Beginning in early October, the musician made public appearances where he voiced anti-semitic remarks and criticisms of Black Lives Matters. For obvious reasons, this was not well received by non-fans and fans alike. But does this mean an end to Kanye on their streaming history?

“Separating art from the artist depends on what the art represents,” Columbus senior Tomas Lopez said. “Some of Kanye’s songs are so influential that neglecting their significance would be damaging to the culture we have built around music as a whole.”

Talented people will not always be good people, so it is our responsibility as a society to appreciate their art while still holding them accountable regardless of achievements and status acquired through their work. A fan of Kanye’s must be able to understand the difference between being a fan of Kanye and being a fan of Kanye’s work. One can be exclusive of the other, when we learn to stop idolizing people and instead idolize what they create.